Electric Cars

I saw this on Sunday Morning on Sunday morning (Deekawife v.3.0 watches; generally they have little to interest me.....except maybe Ben Stein).

Electric cars do little, if anything to help reduce pollution. The electricity has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is generally a coal-fired power plant. Your average conventional power plant is about 35% efficient on a perfect day. Generally, it's much less than that, but I'll be generous here. An electric car is not 100% efficient, either. Now add losses in the electrical distribution system and you have a car that, in full cycle is likely no more efficient that one which is gasoline powered. No net production in pollution. Further, we already have an electrical grid stressed to breaking at peak use. We're going to add transportation to it? And how many new power plants are we planning to build here?

In 2001, 113 Billion gallons of gasoline-equivalent (GEG) were used to run automobiles. I'm not going to run the math here, but believe me, that will translate to the need for many new power plants. But the administration plans to bankrupt coal and they have closed Yucca Mountain, effectively killing nuclear. So....natural gas and oil? If you say renewables, you haven't been reading this blog.

I can point out more of how this is largely folly, but I'm sure you either "get it" or you don't.